The Witcher Boss Finally Responds To The Backlash Over The Latest Poster
One of the breakout characters among viewers of Netflix's TV fantasy epic "The Witcher" in its first season was the comic bard Jaskier, portrayed by British actor Joey Batey. In addition to serving as a comedic foil to self-serious protagonist Geralt of Rivia (Henry Cavill), Jaskier performs the genuine earworm "Toss a Coin to Your Witcher" at multiple points in the show. The song became such a hit among series fans and staff alike that "Witcher" showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich promised more Jaskier bangers well ahead of Season 2's impending release.
Some "Witcher" fans were less than thrilled, though, when on Halloween day, Hissrich shared to her Twitter account a version of a poster for the upcoming Season 2 photoshopped in such a way that series leads Geralt, Yennefer (Anya Chalotra) and Ciri (Freya Allan) are all now different versions of Jaskier. Among other, similar criticisms, user @lilacswolf replied, "listen, i know it's all a joke blabla but i love this show because of the wonderful women. and seeing them erased from their own storylines by a fandom who doesn't appreciate them is really infuriating. now people are talking about how a [Jaskier] centric show would be better."
Soon after, Hissrich responded, sharing her point of view on the considerable fan criticism around her Jaskier poster.
Toss a coin to your fandom
In a tweet quoting @lilacswolf's critique of the photoshopped poster she shared the day previous, Lauren Schmidt Hissrich wrote, "I just learned that some fans feel that, in promoting this trick or treat poster, I erased the women in the show. It upsets me because, as a creator, I've spent a lot of time — and gotten a lot of flak for — making sure that women are central to The Witcher. Teach me, fandom." She then wrote in a follow-up tweet, "I asked because I really want to understand why some women felt more marginalized by this poster! Thanks to those who answered me honestly, and in the face of skeptics."
Another "Witcher" fan, with the Twitter handle @korrakyle, attempted to elaborate further on the point to which Hissrich initially responded. In short, they affirmed that while Hissrich's intentions were most likely pure, they felt disheartened by the photoshopped poster amplifying voices of fans that seemed to want to sideline Yennefer in particular, who is portrayed by a woman of color. To this statement — longer and more nuanced in their own words — Hissrich replied, "Thank you! I think I understand better now."
In summation, then, these and other critics have stated that they largely take issue with neither Hissrich nor Jaskier, but fans who center a white male character at the expense of the women who lead the series.
"The Witcher" Season 2 premieres on December 17.